Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) - Friend Or Foe?   by Carol Sellinger

ADD Friend or Foe

Today more and more children are being labeled with Attention Deficit Disorder. Most of these diagnoses are being done by school teachers and parents without the intervention of a mental health care professional. You might not realize it but the issue of ADD is highly controversial among experts in the field. Even psychologists, psychiatrists, and therapists can have trouble deciding if a child has, what is currently called, ADD or a different disorder. Before making this decision many other things must be ruled out. There are many causes of inattention, fidgeting, impulsivity and lack of focus; the traits that define attention deficit disorder (ADD). Doctors don't have the time or sometimes the training to look for these causes, so you will have to do it yourself. Time to become a detective!! For instance, a child could have the learning disability called Dyslexia. He/she could have major depression, bi-polar disorder or a number of other problems. One thing that needs to be considered is the child's age. Many symptoms exhibited by children with these disorders are simply normal childhood development. We will take a better look at this at another time. Please note here that I am not talking about children diagnosed with ADHD. This is Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder and is a completely different diagnosis. I would strongly recommend that, if you think your child has ADHD, seek professional help.

The symptoms that people (especially lay persons such as teachers and parents) contribute to the diagnoses of ADD are present in a small number of kids. However, the label of Attention Deficit Disorder is a misnomer. I personally am not sure that ADD, as we define it today, even exists. Most kids labeled with ADD are perfectly able to attend to a project and complete it. This is especially true when it is "their" project. When they are allowed to do it "their" way they will become fully engaged and tenacious with a strong desire to complete the task. They will sit for hours while holding on fiercely to their vision. While, if not allowed to steer their own course, they will become disengaged; their minds will wander, and they will become board, feel overwhelmed or simply say to themselves "what's the use", or "this makes no sense to me". While it is true that the ADD mind wanders when not engaged, it is also the case that the ADD mind fastens on to its subject fiercely when it is engaged. Therefore, rather than being an attention deficit disorder it is simply an attention inconsistency. The amount of effort put into a task directly depends on how engaged the child is.

Today's research has clearly found that the two hemispheres of our brains control different cognitive tasks. The left side of the brain controls the: visual, spatial, the overall picture, emotional, abstract, shapes and figures. While the right side of the brain controls the: verbal linguistic, details, practical, concrete, orderly sequences. Children who have been labeled as having ADD are what we call Right - Brained thinkers. Of course we all use both sides of the brain for different tasks.

Children who have been labeled with ADD use more of the right hemisphere of their brains to take in and process information. Some researchers today are finding that children currently diagnosed with ADD simply have brains that are "hard wired" in a somewhat different way compared to the majority of children. These kids are now even called "Gifted". This is because these right-brined children exhibit so many positives.

More and more, the concept of ADD as a disorder is being qualified by inclusion of a string of positive qualities such as creativity, high intelligence, ability to do many things at once, an aptitude for small business entrepreneurship, and a powerful intuitive sense. They are very creative, imaginative, intuitive, good "barnstormers". Think of an absentminded scientist who can find a cure for cancer but not his glasses in the mess on his desk. These are the inventors, creators, poets - the people who think creative thoughts because they don't think like everyone else. Gifted children must be treated as such. We must protect them as we do "endangered" species. Each and every one is special. We must see that we have a little gold mine here. We can not let any of these children slip through the cracks for these are the very individuals who have the skills necessary to lead us through the twenty-first century.

By: Carol Sellinger

About the Author

I have a degree in Psychology with a particular passion and emphasis on family issues. I am certified as a Parenting Instructor with Positive Parenting, S.T.E.P. Parenting (also called Systematic Training for Effective Parenting) and Active Parenting. I also have my own company named Positive Effective Parenting (P.E.P.).